Farewell to the Tenth Doctor

While this is old news to people in much of the civilized world, here in Darkest Iowa we just saw "The End of Time," the final David Tennant Dr. Who episode, on Sunday night. Our local PBS station has been showing Tennant re-runs for months in order to broadcast this episode during its fund-raising week.

I just thought I'd be remiss in not noting this, and thus bidding farewell to what most Whovians consider the greatest of all the Doctors- including even Tom Baker, who for some reason that alludes me is generally regarded as the archetype.

There will always be a special spot in my heart for my first Doctor- the Second Doctor, Patrick Traughton, whose adventures I followed at ten thirty every Sunday night during the first part of my tenure in my first parish in suburban St. Louis. I'm rather fond of John Pertwee, who succeeded Troughton, as well. And I'll always regret that circumstance prevented me from seeing as many of the episodes featuring the Seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy, as I would have liked. While he only appeared for one season, and his heart really wasn't in it, the Ninth Doctor, Christopher Eccleston, also ranks in my top five.

But I heve to agree with the conclusion every poll I've seen of Dr. Who fans has reached: that Tennant's Tenth Doctor was the best of them all.

Starting next month, Iowa Public Television will finally begin showing the adventures of the Eleventh Doctor, Matt Smith. But it won't be the same.